Desiccator



Y March 1,1927. 1,619,765v

l G. B. RIDLEY Filed Oct. 22. 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 lung March 1,1927. f 1,619,765

G, B. RIDLEY.

DES ICCATOR Filed Oct. 22, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ttomeyd.

Much 1, 1921;/ "ff 4 V/l/,ilsuss ff j. a. RIDLEY' DESICCATOR Filed Oct. 22. 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 www.

Jftorneys.

Patented Mar. 1, 1927.

UITED STATES( GRAHAME e. nInLEY, or SAN rnAncrsco; CAI/.incanta Asseivon 'ro EnwARn B. WARD, Vor sAN rRANcrsco, CALIFORNIA.

DESICCATOR.

Application ined october 22, 1924. serialno. 745,103.

This invention relates to a desiccator of the bin type and particularly pertains to a means of dehydrating articles such as nuts, fruits and the like. v

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide a desiccator of the bin type which will operate to rapidly and thoroughly dehydrate fruits, nuts, vegetables, and the like in a substantially continuous 0peration, and which is provided with means for insuring that the volume of material in the bin will be uniformly dehydrated irrespective of its position in the bin.

The present invention contemplates the use of loins into` the top oit which material to be desiccated may be delivered, and from the bottom of which it may be withdrawn, said bins being further constructed with means for creating a transverse circulation oi' air through and cross the bin in a'desired direction, said directions being readlly controlled as the drying proceeds.

The invention Ais illustrated by way of eX- ample in the accompanying drawings, in

' which Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation illustrating the complete apparatus with which the present invention is embodied.

Fig. 2 is a view in plan illustrating the present invention.

Fig. 3 is an rend view of the structure with parts broken away to rmore clearly show the construction of one of the bins and lthe manner of controlling the transverse flow of air across a bin.

Fig.` 4 is a view in end elevation showing the furnace forming a `part of the :present invention, `and the manner in which this furnace is connected with the `bins.

Fig. 5 lis a view in side elevation showing a form of bin having =a vertical air circulation.

Fig. 6 isa view in central vertical section through the structure shown in Fig; v5 as viewed on linelG- Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 to 4 of the drawings, 10 indicates 'a subframe structure supporting a plurality ot bins 11. There are three bins shown Hin `the drawing, although lit willl be understood that the device may be of any'capacityl The bins are separated from :each `other `by vertical partitionwalls, and maybe separately closed by swingingdoors/12;` These'doors fare fitted with counterbalances as indicatedlat y13 to air ducts 17 and 18, the arrangement of which is more clearly shown in Fig. 2 of :the drawing. By reference to this iigure, it will be seen that the cross `sectional area ofthe ducts is reduced along the length of the ducts, so that a unitorn'i volume of air may be deliveredto and removed from each of the bins. v

By reference to Fig. 3, it will 'be .seen that the truste-conical air feed chutes are disposed one above the other, and are of dime`nsions to insure that a'constant `supply of air delivered through' both of' Athe chutes will be distributed substantially over the entire side wall 14, and will pass `.therethrough.to come into intimate contact with the material in the bin. It may be desirable-to vary .the volume of'vair flowing to dierent portions of the bin or to discontinue its flow entirely, and this may be 4brought about by disk valves 19 and 2O which .may be l'broughtto `close the throats Vot the chutes 15' and 16 respectively.

These valves are mounted on valve stems21. The valve stems are mounted Jfor Alongitudinal reciprocation, and may be actuated by sprockets 22 having threadedlportion' 23 receiving` the threaded extensions of .the valve stems 21v so that the stems anayfbe longitudinally reciprocated .as the sprockets are -rotate-d.` Operating chains 24 and 25 are provided or 4the sprockets.

The bottoms of lthe ybins are formed with inclined floors, at the centers ot which are draw-oit openings 26. These openings communicate with chutes 27 knormally closed `by doors 28. By this means the contents of a bin may be readily withdrawn; A `sliding door 29 norinally'closes the central opening in the floor, and isloperated .by a ythreaded control shaft 30 which is rotated by .a hand wheel 31.

Material to be .dehydrated may be conveniently fed into any one ofthe hoppers by the yelevating conveyor structure 32 which comprises a lower sprocket 33, an upper sprocket 34, and a conveyor chain 35. Mounted on this conveyor chain are elevator buckets 36. These buckets may be filled with material from a loading platform 37, and may be emptied onto a swinging chute 38 as the buckets pass over and around the upper sprocket 34. As will be understood from an examination of Fig. 8, the chute 88 may swing horizontally on its pivot 39, and may deliver materia-l into any one of the bins desired.

The heating and circulation of air through the bins is brought about by the action of a furnace 40 and a blower 41. The furnace is preferably formed with a lire box 42'witl1in which an oil burner 43 operates. The fire box communicates with a stack 44 through a plurality of flue pipes 45, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 4. These pipes cause the products of combustion to pursue a circuitous path of travel through the upper part of the furnace circuit, and thus insure that a maximum amount of heat will be imparted to the surrounding air which is to be passed through the dehydrating bins. The lower portion of the furnace jacket is connected with a blower 41 which may be driven by any suitable source of power. This blower is fitted with a vertical duct 46 extending to a point substantially on the level with the bins. Y

A. Y -shaped air conduit communicates with the upper end of the duct 46, as more clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The leg 47 of this member connects with the supply pipe 17 extending horizontally along one side of the bins, while the supply pipe 18 extends horizontally on the opposite side of the bins.

Communicating with this Y-shaped conduit at a point between the portions 47 and 48, is a stack 49. This stack extends vertically, one portion of it projecting above the bins and the other portion forming a Y as indicated at 50 in Fig. 4. This Y connects with the furnace jacket upon Vthe opposite side from the blower 41. A. deflector damper 51 is disposed in the throat of this Y and deflects any desired amount of the air which has passed through the bins downwardly into the furnace, at the same time permitting air to be drawn in from the vertical portion of the stack 49. A horizontally swinging deflector damper 52 is mounted in the Y, of which legs 47 and 48 are a part, and may be actuated by a rod 53 to divert the heated air to either side of the bins. Thus it is possible to reverse the direction of circulation of the air through the bins, and thereby eX- pose the entire mass to the intimate action of the dry heated air passing-into the bins. It would be evident that if the air passed bins are lilled, the covers 12 may be swung downwardly to a closed position and locked by staple locks as indicated at 54 in the drawing.

The blower 41 may then be started to draw heated air from the furnace 40 and to force it upwardly through the duct 46. The horie zontal damper 52 may then be positioned to either divert heated air to the leg 47 of the Y or the leg 48.

Assuming, for example, that it is diverted to the leg 47 of the. Y, as indicated in Fig. 2.A it will be evident that this heated air will then pass to the distributing pipe 1'2" and will be forced into the bins through their foraminous side walls in such proportion as permitted by the positions of the valve disks 19 and 2O of the respective bins.

This air will then be forced across the bins and in intimate contact with the material to be dehydrated. Tt will be evident that the quantity of material in the bins and the length of travel of the air through the material will have a direct bearing upon the desiccating action brought about, and for this reason, the bins have been designed to insure that a maximum dehydrating action will be eEected before the air becomes objectionably laden with moisture. After the air has passed through the bin, it ma)7 then pass out into the passageway 18 and then return through the pipe to the center of the Y. Here it will encounter the horizontal damper 52, and will be directed to the stack 49. If the stack chamber 5l is in the posi tion shown in lEig. 1 of the drawing, the entire volume of air will pass out into the atmosphere, but if this damper is elevated, a proportionate amount of air will be diverted downwardly into the Y 50 and to the furnace.'

In the event that fresh air is desired to supplement some of the air forced out through the stack, sliding draft plates 55 in the walls of the Y 50 may be opened to permit fresh air to be drawn to the bottom of the furnace.

By reference to Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawing, it will be apparent that a slight rearrangement of the parts previously described could be made to dispose the bins so that the ydirection of travel 'of the air would be vertical instead of horizontal, as previously described.

'Ill

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It will thus be evident that the apparatus here disclosed makes it possible to readily dehydrate large volumes of material in a dehydrator of the bin type, and that the material thus treated may then be drawn off from the bottoms of the bins.

While I have shown the preferred form of my invention as now known to me, it is to be-understood that various changes may be made in its construction Without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, What l claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: Y

1. A desiccator comprising a bin adapted to receive material to be dehydrated at it-s top and to draw said material off therefrom at its bottom, means for creating a cross current 'of heated air through the bin, and means for optionally changing the direction of flow of said air current.

2. A desiccator comprising a bin adapted to receive material to be dehydrated at its top and to draw said material Ioff there-from at its bottom, means for creating a cross current of heated air through the bin, means for optionally changing the direction of flow of said air current, and means for optionally controlling the volume of air flow across said bin.

8. A desiccator comprising a bin adapted to receive material to be ydehydrated at its top and to ydravv said material yoff therefrom at its bottom, means for creating a cross current of heated air through the bin, means for optionally changing the direction of flow yof said air current, and means for optionally controlling the volume'of air flow across said bin and at different levels therein.

4. A desiccator comprising` a plurality of bins, supply manifolds extending along' opposite sides thereof and communicating with the several bins, and means for creating a circulation of air through the manifolds and the bins.

5. A desiccator comprising a plurality of bins, supply manifolds extendingalong opposite sides thereof and communicating With the several bins, means for creating a circulation of air through the manifolds and the bins, and means for changing the di-VV rection of flow of air through said manifolds and bins.

6. A `desiccator comprising a plurality of bins, manifold pipes extending along opposite sides thereof and communicating With said bins, a furnace With Which said manifold pipes connect, and means for forcing air to circulate through said manifold pipes, the bins and the furnace. p

7. A desiccator comprising a plurality of bins, manifold pipes extending along opposite sides thereof and communicating with said bins, a furnace with which said manifold pipes connect, means for forcing air to circulate through said manifold pipes, the bins and the furnace, and means for chang ing the direction of flow of said air in its circulation through the bins.

8. A desiccator comprising a plurality of bins, manifold pipes extending along opposite sides thereof and communicating With said bins, a furnace with which said manif fold pipes connect, means for forcing air to P circulate through said manifold pipes, the bins and the furnace, means for changing the direction of flow of said air in its circulation through the bins, and means for supplying fresh air to the furnace in a desired proportion to the air being dravvn from the bins.

9. A `desiccator comprising a bin, opposite Walls of said bin being formed of forami nous material, a removable cover for vsaid bin, a draw-off outlet in the bottom of the bin, air passageways at opposite sides of the bin and adapted to deliver air to the foraminous Walls, and valves in said passagevvays for controlling the volume of air passing through the Walls.

'10. A desiccator comprising a plurality of bins Within which material to be dehydrated may be placed, means for ydelivering heated air to each 'of the bins, and means for optionally discontinuing the delivery of heated air to any one or more of the bins.

GRAHAME B. RIDLEY.

LAI 

